The West Jefferson Civic Coalition, or WJCC, will hold a public forum in the West Jefferson Medical Center auditorium Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

Hospital Corp. of America, Louisiana Children's Medical Center and Ochsner have all accepted invitations to attend, according to WJCC.

Each entity will draw straws at the beginning of the meeting to determine the order. The groups will each have 20 minutes to make a pitch, organizers said. Then members of the public have be able to submit questions via writing to be answered.

WJCC President Oscar Pipkins said there will be an anonymous straw poll at the end of the meeting. The results of that poll will be delivered to the Jefferson Parish council.

Wednesday's meeting is free and open to the public.

The Jefferson Parish Council is expected to set a date soon to vote on a suitor to lease East Jefferson General Hospital and West Jefferson Medical Center.

Parish leaders received a 22-page document from Kaufman Hall, the consulting firm hired by the parish, that recommended two companies for the two hospitals in order to move forward.

Two boards tasked with aiding in the selection process have sided until now with two separate entities -- Hospital Corp. of America and Louisiana Children’s Medical Center.

Jefferson Parish Council Chairman Chris Roberts said he has lost confidence in Kaufman Hall. In an email to the consulting firm, he called the continual change in position bothersome.

“I challenge anyone to deny that Kaufman Hall said in executive session splitting the hospitals was absolutely not in the parish's best interest. It is absurd that they continue to be reactive to pressures. Under no circumstance will I vote for a split,” Roberts said.

Roberts said he will suggest reimbursement of consulting fees paid under their $1.3 million contract to date. Roberts called the process a circus that is beginning to lose the public’s confidence. He said a majority of the council members have indicated they are ready to vote on this matter.

The Parish Council had hoped to have a lessee lined up by the end of the year.

FROM THE DOCTORS AND POLITICIANS...NOW TODAY WE'LL HEAR AS JEFFERSON PARISH RESIDENTS WEIGH IN ON WHICH ENTITY SHOULD LEASE TWO PUBLIC HOSPITALS. WDSU NEWS REPORTER BLAKE HANSON IS LIVE THIS MORNING FROM WEST JEFF... BLAKE, WHAT SORT OF MEETING IS THIS GOING TO BE?. IT'S A PUBLIC FORUM THAT THE WEST JEFFERSON CIVIC COALITION IS HOLDING HERE TONIGHT. THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE H-C-A, L-C- M-C AND OCHSNER ALL HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY THEY WOULD BE THE BEST SUITED TO LEASE BOTH EAST JEFFERSON GENERAL HOSPITAL AND WEST JEFFERSON MEDICAL CENTER. WE'RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS CONTENTIOUS DEBATE. AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW...THE CONSULTANT "KAUFMAN HALL" HIRED BY THE PARISH TO RECOMMEND AN ENTITY...PICKED TWO ENTITIES INSTEAD OF ONE. HOSPITAL CORP OF AMERICA... OR H-C-A. AND LOUISIANA CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER OR L-C-M-C. A GROUP OF DOCTORS AT EAST JEFF HAVE PICKED H-C-A. WEST JEFF HAS PICKED LOUISIANA CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER. AND THE COUNCIL ...INITIALLY HOPING TO MAKE A DECISION BY THE END OF THE YEAR IS MOVING CLOSER TO A VOTE, BUT STILL HASN'T DONE SO YET. NOW...WITH THIS MEETING TONIGHT... ORGANIZERS HOPE SOME OF THE TAXPAYERS HERE CAN LEARN MORE FROM THE ENTITIES THEMSELVES. HERE'S THE BARE BONE DETAILS... IT'LL HAPPEN FROM 6:30 TO 8:30 CENTER'S AUDITORIUM. IT'S FREE. IT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. AND THEY WANT TO GET A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT HERE. THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION ALL OF THE DIFFERENT SIDES ARE THROWING AROUND. HERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO HEAR FIRSTHAND FROM THE GROUPS THEMSELVES. LIVE ON YOUR SIDE IN MARRERO, BLAKE HANSON, WDSU NEWS. THANKS BLAKE. FORM THE NORTHSHORE THIS MORNING,LAW